Re:Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
by Sinthas
Summary: In a land torn by war and strife, where the weak and poor are being killed of en masse in order to serve the needs of the rich and powerful, Colben the Squirtle and Sauron the Bulbasaur find themselves paired up and must fight side by side to preserve the peace. Set in a more realistic version of a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon-esque universe. Scenes of mild gore, violence and language.
1. Chapter 1 - Re:Start

_"A Squirtle…? No, that's not right… Still, he possesses what I need. He'll do just fine. Yes... So long as that damned_ _ **Bulbasaur**_ _doesn't interfere, things should proceed smoothly."_

Oh Arceus...

My whole body feels like it's on fire...

". . . e up!"

Every bone, muscle and tendon feels like they're being ripped apart at the seams. Not to mention this splitting headache..."

". . ke up!"

I... I can't move, nor can I speak. All I can do is lie here and allow the searing agony to rise until it most certainly drives me into shock and consumes me.

How did I even get into this situation? Come on memory... Don't you dare fail me now!

 _"Hahh... Haaahhh..." A young Squirtle leaned against the rigid, stony wall of a monstrously sized, yet noticeably empty cave. He gave a dismayed sigh as he struggled to take in as much oxygen he possibly could, visibly struggling with every breath. "That... Ha... That should be good enough! Nngh..." He thought aloud. "I... I doubt they've followed me this far... They've surely given up chase by now." The small, blue turtle-esque Pokémon still wasn't entirely sure who 'they' were, or if he was even actually being chased. He simply did as he was told and ran. "I'll hole up here for tonight," he began, "and first thing tomorrow, I'll... Er... Keep walking aimlessly!" Despite his forced, optimistic tone, it was exceedingly clear that the poor Squirtle was quickly becoming disheartened. Today marked his first day away as a fugitive, away from the sheltered safety of Mineral City. "Ma... Pa... Cooper..." He began murmuring out to nobody in particular, quickly shaking his head to banish those memories to the deepest recesses of his mind so as to focus more on survival. "I-I can start a fire here for tonight." The now audibly distressed Squirtle spoke, staring out at the gloomy, dark, and most importantly, rainy landscape that awaited outside, bracing himself for just a moment before stepping out into the abyssal night._

 _Gathering firewood proved to be quite the simple task - even pathetically so. The aqua-hued turtle's cave of residence had been readily shielded from view by miles of heavily wooded forest. What's more is that thanks to a large influx of storms as of late, flammable plant material -namely twigs and leaves- were littered around just about everywhere._

 _"Wood is absolutely_ _ **terrible**_ _at burning, which is why it's so great for fires! It lasts a really long time! Just... Be sure to have something a bit more flammable to get your fire's flame up a bit before throwing in a bunch of wood!"_

 _This rather obvious word of advice echoed repeatedly through the lonely Squirtle's head again and again as he began creating a small circle of rocks to contain his fire. "Cooper..." The Squirtle murmured the name of the Wartortle he'd looked up to his entire life. His brother had held a wide assortment of survival advice, supposedly from his time spent with the "Pearl Resistance Guild" or whatever it was. The smaller of the two reptiles hardly paid attention to that kind of stuff. All he knew was that Cooper's work there meant that his time spent at home was rare as well as short lived, and had been that way ever since Polaris had seized control of virtually the entire world. From what he knew, secret resistance guilds were strategically situated throughout the world, working behind the scenes to undermine Polaris, and that was the job the Wartortle held. The teen-aged Squirtle felt tears welling up in his eyes as his last encounter with his brother replayed in his head._

 _ **"Polaris has taken mom and dad! You need to run. Run far away from here before they kill you along with everyone else in the city they deem unfit to assimilate!" Cooper warned**_

 _ **The younger Squirtle immediately interjected, "B-But, what about you?!"**_

 _ **"I've got years of fighting and survival experience under my shell! If anything, they'll take me and I'll be able to get some sweet inside info!"**_

 _ **"W-Will you come back for me?"**_

 _ **"If there's a way, I promise you that I'll find it, no matter what! But for now, I have to stay back here and do what I can to protect the city's citizens! For now, I want you to take this." The older turtle slipped a white teardrop pendant hanging on a cheap string off his own neck and onto the neck of his younger brother. "Walk due west for about three days. You should easily be able to reach Fort Qampys. One of my colleagues from the Pearl Guild resides there and she'll be more than happy to help you out so long as you show her that pendant. Got it?"**_

 _ **"But how will I know-" The Squirtle attempted to ask, though he was hastily cut off. "We don't have any more time to lollygag around here! If you don't leave right away, you may be pursued." Cooper's tone turned from optimistically objective to simply cold and serious. He shoved his younger brother with an almost excessive amount of force. "I'll be assisting as many as I can to escape. I want you to get the hell out of here as quickly as you possibly can." The Wartortle walked away, leaving not a moment for the younger turtle to offer a response.**_

 _ **With a trembling heart, a jittery body and wine-pigmented eyes blurry with tears, the depressed Squirtle obediently made his way out of the city. "Sun rises... In the east. Sets in the west..." He mumbled quietly as he stared up at the aforementioned star to get his bearings. It was early morning and the sun was just barely visible over the horizon, so the Squirtle eagerly followed it, confident that the guiding light of the sun's rays would lead him to his destination.**_

 _The water-type shook the memory from his head, much as he'd done before, staring down at the giant pile of semi-wet leaves he'd tossed into his small circle of many differently shaped and coloured stones and then to his absolutely massive mountain of sticks, as well as some berries he'd gathered that looked safe enough to eat, if he was remembering the bits and pieces of his brother's advice properly. This would be enough to get him through the night if all went well. He grabbed two of the driest and firmest twigs he could find and began striking them against each other back and forth as rapidly and coarsely as possible to create a spark. "Come on..." He rubbed the two together as fast as his short arms would let him "Cooome ooonnnn...!" A spark! "Yes!" Before long, the friction caused by the rubbing created a beautiful orange blaze, which took residence primarily on the wooden twig in his left claw. The reptilian Pokémon quickly chucked both sticks into his leaf pile. It wasn't long before a sizeable blaze was born, which took residence in the small, makeshift fire pit he'd created. The Squirtle was quite proud of himself. Survival wasn't so hard!_

 _Every now and again, he'd toss a stick or two into the fire until they were literally tumbling out because of the giant pile of combustible material. The fire was absolutely massive at this point. "Eheheh... I may have gone a tad overboard. But hey! No way this thing's going out until I want it to!" The Squirtle smiled triumphantly and grabbed the roundest, most flavourful looking oran berry from his newly-found stash and skewered it on a spare twig, holding it precariously over the fire so as to cook it. The Squirtle wasn't even particularly fond of cooked berries; he preferred them raw. It was more likely than not that he was simply trying to find ways to justify the absolute massiveness fire to himself. It wasn't working. It was large, scary, and bright enough to keep even the soundest sleeper wide awake with its nearly blindingly bright light. Well, whatever. This was what shells were for, right?_

 _The nonetheless proud Squirtle gulped down the juicy, charred blue berry in one swift bite. In any other situation, he'd happily snarf down the entire batch, but he had absolutely no idea what awaited him for the other two and a half days of his journey, and decided that it would be a much more prudent idea to hang onto the majority of his berry stash in case another opportunity to gather food never presented itself. Though for now, what this Squirtle needed more than anything was a good night's sleep to make the no-doubt tiring journey that lied ahead of him for the next day. To avoid the blinding light of the fire, the reptilian Pokémon hid his head away in his shell, his limbs following suit only moments later. Thankfully, the warmth of the blazing fire did quite an effective job at warding away the chill of the stormy, bleak night that awaited outside. It took mere moments for the orange flames' comforting heat to quell the Squirtle's worries long enough for him to fall asleep. The aqua turtle was quite the quiet sleeper, and left the white glow emanating from the pendant in his shell to be the only sign that the unmoving brown shield actually housed a living inhabitant._

" _ **It's not gonna happen… It's just too delicate a procedure to perform without making contact."**_

 _The fire in the cave had died down quite significantly, letting the odd chilly breeze rush into the cave and send shivers down the turtle's spine._

" _Hey, sleepyhead! It's time to get up!"_

' _How long had it been since I'd gone to sleep?' The Squirtle thought to himself as he awoke to the sound of a voice and the sight of… Something. His vision was kind of blurry. It was a striking green colour and had… Terrifying red eyes! The Squirtle popped out of his shell and sprung up to his feet._

 _It only took a moment to see that this Pokémon… Well, it certainly wasn't as intimidating as he'd initially assumed. It wasn't a Pokémon the sheltered turtle was familiar with though. Its hide was a beautiful greenish-colour, dotted with oddly shaped spots all over. It stood on four legs and carried something like a plant bulb on its back._

" _You're not…!"_

" _I'm… I-I'm not what…?" the green Pok_ _é_ _mon tilted his head, offering the other reptile a look of genuine concern._

" _U-Uhh… Sorry about that outburst… I was being chased and I thought you were a pursuer…"_

" _Oh…" The crimson-eyed dinosaur-esque Pok_ _é_ _mon responded. He looked quite hurt by the Squirtle's assumption. "I… I didn't realize that you were being chased. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" He looked like he was two seconds away from breaking down and crying._

" _Hey, hey! I-It's alright! No need to cry! If anything, I'm glad to have come company! I was starting to get lonely on my own anyway!" Well, if anything, that seemed to calm the Bulbasaur down a little bit. "Can I… Get your name?" The blue reptile asked._

" _Of course!" The Bulbasaur blared out with a heavy optimistic ring to his voice all of a sudden. "Sauron! Of the House of Saur! At your service!" He finished proudly._

" _Right." He wondered if this Bulbasaur was bipolar or something. He just pulled a total 180 right there. "My name. It's Colben of House Asto. Erm… Pleased to meet you." As optimistic as Sauron sounded, Colben came off as equally awkward._

" _So, where're ya' headed?" Sauron pried._

" _Hm? What do you mean?"_

" _Nice try! Now that we're partners, I'm gonna make sure you get safely where you need to go!" Sauron offered triumphantly._

 _When did I agree to this, exactly?_

" _I'm supposed to head to Fort Qampys in the west…" the Squirtle admitted after a great deal of hesitation. He wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Sauron. That being said, the Bulbasaur seemed so enthusiastic, happy even. And Colben just didn't have it in him to turn him down and rain on his parade._

" _Fort Qampys? It's your lucky day! I've got tons and tons of friends there! Let's get going!" Without another word, Sauron practically leapt out of the cave._

" _Are you out of your mind?!" Colben just barely managed to grab the grass-type's hind legs and hold him back. "You don't know what's out there! It's unbelievably dangerous! It'll be much safer to stay here until sunrise and head out then…"_

" _Fiiiiiine…" Sauron gave a sigh of defeat, but quickly regained his composure. "You've got quite a nice campfire here, so let's waste away the night by telling bonfire stories!"_

" _But…" The Squirtle argued. "I was planning on 'wasting the night away' by sleeping…"_

 _Sauron rolled his eyes. "What? You've been sleeping for long enough, lazy butt! Now come on! We're gonna tell stories 'til dawn!"_

" _A-Alright, I guess…" Colben let out an annoyed groan as he took a seat next to his slowly dying fire. Sauron took a seat uncomfortably close to him. "So, who're you running away from? Huh? Spill all the juicy details!"_

 _Should've figured that by 'we're gonna tell stories' he meant 'I'm gonna tell him stories.' Whatever. Telling this to someone will be a huge weight lifted from my chest._

" _Okay, listen closely because I only want to say this once," Colben began; answered only by a silent nod from the Bulbasaur who already seemed beyond eager to listen to every word he had to say. "I'm sure you've heard of what's going on, right? With Polaris?" The green dino looked beyond confused, though he dared not say a word for fear of interrupting the storyteller. "Fine, I'll start from the very beginning, then. At least, as close to the beginning as I remember. About seven-ish years ago, give or take, the strongest, smartest and stealthiest Pokémon the whole world over decided that they were too good for the rest of us. That they'd create a new world order that purposely exterminated the weak in order to allow the strong all the world's resources. They've come to call this new world order 'Polaris.' Polaris has launched hundreds of attacks on innocents over the years, burning down villages, terrorizing civilians and ruling with an iron fist and fear tactics. They've been raiding town after town, city after city, kidnapping anyone they deem worthwhile to assimilate to their cause and brutally eliminating the rest Then, they simply flee back to their headquarters… Wherever that is. However, there were Pokémon who quickly got sick of Polaris' antics. They banded together and formed secret resistance bases all over the world. From what I've heard, most members of the resistance are weak Pokémon that managed to escape Polaris' attacks someway or another. Though not strong, they are many. And what the resistance does is go around to places where Pokémon need help and, whether it be thanks to Polaris' meddling, or if their client just have a problem that needs solving, they help out! Then they see if they can bring said client over to the resistance to boost their numbers. The closest resistance base to here is the Pearl Guild… That's where my brother was operating."_

 _The Squirtle shook his head. "Now, back to the story at hand. Just yesterday, Polaris decided to launch an attack on my home: Temenel City. It turns out that my parents had been allegiants for Polaris for quite a while, and they assisted in the destruction of the city and the genocide of its residents. My brother, Cooper basically had to carry me to the city limits and shove me out to get me to leave. All I remember past that is that I was being chased. I heard footsteps behind me, I'm sure of it. Though, I never looked back, I was too afraid of what I'd see hot on my heels. Then, I managed to find this cave! And I guess I lost whoever was pursuing me by hiding in here!" Colben finished with an oddly cheery tone to his voice. "Though, I suppose that from this day on, I'm a fugitive without direction… Whatever. It's better than death, I suppose… So, what's your story?"_

 _The Bulbasaur seemed quite taken aback by the simple question. He thought for a few moments, as if he was considering whether or not what he was about to say was really worth saying. "Well, I'm a member of the Pearl Guild! I ran away from home because I knew my calling in life was to help out Pokémon in need! And that's why I'm here; to help you get where you need to go!"_

" _H-Help me?! How could the Pearl Guild have possibly known that I'd be in this situation?!" Colben inquired. He sounded… Conflicted, to say the least._

" _Oh, come on! Here I thought the little brother of the legendary Cooper Asto would be a little bit smarter than that! I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet!" Sauron taunted._

" _Hey! I don't need your help if you're going to treat me like a child!" Colben interjected._

" _Fine, fine. I'll treat you like an adult… If you can figure out how I knew you were here. It should be pretty easy." The Bulbasaur spoke as if he was issuing the Squirtle a challenge, and he wasn't about to turn it down._

" _Alright. But how am I supposed to figure it out just from scratch?" Colben asked, folding his arms and tilting his head and looking around the cave the two were sheltered by, as if some cave drawing would spell out the answer._

" _Just walk through everything you know. I'm sure the answer will come to you if you're really a worthy successor to the Asto name!" The Saur chimed. His voice was nearly sickeningly upbeat._

" _Okay…" Colben began. "I'll go from start to finish through the information I have and see if I can make myself worthy in your eyes!"_

' _Cooper works for the Pearl Guild. His work never fails to keep him busy, so he only has time to come home and visit me for about a week every four months, like clockwork. However, this time was different. He came home after only two months. I initially found it strange, though when I consider what happened during his visit, the two events seem to coincide almost too well to write off as a coincidence. As a result, I must conclude that Cooper knew about Temenel City's fate, and came back early so that he could prevent it. … … … No, that's not right. He didn't take any preventative measures, which means that he must've had a reason not to. Hmm… Something that would've stopped Cooper from taking preventative measures to stop the blaze that engulfed the city. I'll think about this differently. What were Cooper's priorities? Well, if I'm going to judge from his actions in response to the city going aflame, I must conclude that I was likely prioritized before anything else in his eyes. So… Cooper must've thought that preventing the fire would've put me in danger's way. Argh! That's not right either! He could've taken me out of the city beforehand to spare me if that was his only concern! Well, I've come this far on this train of thought. Let's at least see it through before throwing in the towel and staring over… So, the next question is 'why couldn't Cooper take me out of the city beforehand?' I'm not a very well known guy. In fact, very few other Pokémon know me because I stay inside most of the time. Therefore… Aha! Cooper couldn't simply bring me out of the city because our parents would grow suspicious! Ergo, it stands to reason that Cooper also knew about our parents' defect to Polaris as well! And if that's the case… Then I think I have all the information I need.'_

" _Sauron! I've got it!" Colben answered, his voice laced with tones of complete confidence._

" _Alright. Lay it on me, kid."_

" _We'll see who's the kid after you hear what I've got to say!" Colben started, "Cooper must've found out about my parents' allegiance with Polaris prior to his visit. He knew I was in grave danger, which it why he opted to visit earlier than usual. He knew he couldn't try to prevent the attack, or my parents would've gotten suspicious. They already know that he's part of the Pearl Guild, which is why he couldn't take me and leave. They surely would've stopped him in his tracks. He knew fully well that he couldn't stop the attack, so he planned ahead. He let the arson go through without resistance so that he could save my life… And… And that's where you come in. If he was going to knowingly let the city be bombarded with flames, then he had to pay for his actions. He had to stay back and evacuate the city as best he could. So that he could repent for what his feigned ignorance caused. So, he sent you in advance, didn't he? He knew how this would all play out, so he sent you to come find me, and guide me, right?"_

 _The Squirtle's eyes were filled to the brim with tears. He couldn't bear to think about the harsh reality of the deductions he'd made, and the conclusion they'd drawn him to. He didn't have the mental capacity to blink back the tears and gloat in how smart he was. That was fine. The Bulbasaur looked happy enough for the both of them. "Correct on every count! Well done, Colben! I want you to listen closely, because I think you're ready to know about your brother. He may seem all cold and serious, but you should see his face every time he leaves to visit you. He cracks the biggest smile. And the way he talks about you. About how lovable and independent you are. He never shuts up! That's why I need to formally say that it's truly an honour to meet you, Colben. Your brother and I are very close friends and allies. And as you've already figured out, I'm under his request to protect you at all costs! That's the real reason why I'm here. And why I'm going to get you to your destination no matter what!"_

 _Tears were streaming down the blue Pokémon's cheeks. He couldn't hold them in any longer. It was as if someone had turned on a spigot behind his eyes. Up until this point, he'd tried to be strong and bottle everything in for Cooper, but he just couldn't do it anymore. "A-And that was his last wish-?!"_

 _Sauron cut him off right there. "I know that you don't exactly get to see your big brother very often, but I see him just about every day of my life. He's one of the strongest, smartest Pokémon in the whole guild! If there's a way for him to evacuate the city and get out alive, I guarantee you that he's found it! That's a promise!" The Bulbasaur nuzzled against the younger Squirtle's cheek to wipe away some of those tears. "So, let's smile and hope for the best! We'll get through this together, okay?"_

 _Colben wiped the rest of the tears from his stained cheeks with his arms. "O… Okay… L-Let's just… - H-Huh?!" The blue reptile stumbled backward a little bit. He could swear that the ground beneath him felt like it was rumbling. Slowly but surely, the low rumbling built its way up until it was a quite violent tremor. "I-Is this an earthquake?!" Colben blurted out, but received no answer. He scanned the immediate vicinity in a panic, but found Sauron to be standing still, perfectly unharmed. Though closer inspection would reveal his eyes to be wide as saucers, and he was stiff as a bored. This was the visage of a Pokémon who was completely petrified with fear. Further investigation yielded the sight of a rather loose looking stalactite, which was hanging precariously from the cave's ceiling and directly above Sauron. It looked fit to fall at any moment. "S-Sauron! You need to move!" Colben called out. The Bulbasaur was completely despondent. It seems that the earthquake was really terrorizing him, to the point where he didn't even seem aware of his surroundings. To the point where nothing he saw or felt mattered. His entire being was simply focused on this earthquake and staying perfectly still until it subsided, almost as though it were a trauma response. "Sauron! … Sauron!" Colben kept trying, but there was just no more time. The quaking of the Earth soon set the slab of mineral free and it went tumbling down, on a collision course for its poor, unsuspecting victim below. "SAURON!" Colben blacked out shortly. The last thing he could remember was a horrifyingly loud cracking noise. And then pure blackness._

(So it starts! I didn't want the exposition taking up more than one chapter, so please forgive how all-over-the-place this is. I promise this is the only time it'll happen. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any compliments or criticisms you have. Anything is appreciated!)


	2. Chapter 2 - Re:Luminous

" _Things didn't quite go exactly as planned, but that_ _ **Bulbasaur**_ _shouldn't be a burden any longer. I'll just get that Squirtle out of the cave myself and then I'll take what I need."_

Oh Arceus...

My whole body feels like it's on fire...

". . . e up!"

Every bone, muscle and tendon feels like they're being ripped apart at the seams. Not to mention this splitting headache..."

". . ke up!"

I... I can't move, nor can I speak. All I can do is lie here and allow the searing agony to rise until it most certainly drives me into shock and consumes me.

"Please! Wake up!"

"Gah!" I shot to my feet as soon as I realized that someone was trying to get my attention. "I'm awake! I swear!"

"O-Oogh… I-I thought you were a goner for sure…" The Bulbasaur standing in front of me had tears welling up in his eyes. He looked like he was about to break down and cry at any moment. I folded my arms and thought back to the last thing I could remember before I passed out. Right. The earthquake.

 _Colben could swear that the ground beneath him felt like it was rumbling. Slowly but surely, the low rumbling built its way up until it was a quite violent tremor. "I-Is this an earthquake?!" Colben blurted out, but received no answer. He scanned the immediate vicinity in a panic, but found Sauron to be standing still, perfectly unharmed. Though closer inspection would reveal his eyes to be wide as saucers, and he was stiff as a bored. This was the visage of a Pokémon who was completely petrified with fear. Further investigation yielded the sight of a rather loose looking stalactite, which was hanging precariously from the cave's ceiling and directly above Sauron. It looked fit to fall at any moment. "S-Sauron! You need to move!" Colben called out. The Bulbasaur was completely despondent. It seems that the earthquake was really terrorizing him, to the point where he didn't even seem aware of his surroundings. To the point where nothing he saw or felt mattered. His entire being was simply focused on this earthquake and staying perfectly still until it subsided, almost as though it were a trauma response. "Sauron! … Sauron!" Colben kept trying, but there was just no more time. The quaking of the Earth soon set the slab of mineral free and it went tumbling down, on a collision course for its poor, unsuspecting victim below. "SAURON!" Colben blacked out shortly. The last thing he could remember was a horrifyingly loud cracking noise. And then pure blackness._

No. That wasn't quite right. There was one last thing I could remember.

 _Just as that hulking slab of rock fell, Colben jumped forward. He shoved Sauron out of the way. That horrible, echoing, cracking sound wasn't the sound of the grass-type being crushed to death. It was the sound of the rock hitting Colben instead. Something had broken, though he wasn't left conscious long enough to assess the damage._

"So that's what happened…" I muttered aloud. The green dino in front of me gave me a weird look for a moment but almost immediately put the strange quote out of his head. "Um…" He tried to speak, though his voice was beyond shaky and bore so many toned of fear and discord that he could barely get a word out. "How…" I spoke, ignoring the Bulbasaur. "How am I alive?" I looked down at my arms and my legs. Besides a residual pain and a ringing in my head, I was completely fine. Not so much as a scratch on me! "Are… Are you okay…?" The Bulbasaur tried again to get my attention. "Your shell…" Finally, I yanked my head out of the clouds and took note of the grass-type trying to speak to me. "My shell?" And then I realized exactly why I was still breathing. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw a giant fissure emanating from the center of my once-pristine shell, which protruded out in five different directions, creating jagged cracks all along the surface of my protective carapace. "O-Oh… I see. Yeah, I'm fine…" Truth be told, the disappointment hurt more than the actual physical pain I was going through. I'd had this shell since birth and now it was marked forever. "Oh… Thank Arceus. I-I really didn't know if you'd wake up or not…" The Bulbasaur seemed so relieved. I'd saved his life. He'd be able to smile again. His life would continue. And all it cost was a blemish on my shell. Surely, his life was worth that price. I smiled only at myself. A proud smile that I bore, knowing that I'd really helped someone. It was an amazing feeling. "Uh…" The Bulbasaur began once more. "So what's our plan to get out of here?" "Our plan? What do you mean? We just walk out the- Oh."

I looked fearfully around the immediate vicinity, my wine-coloured eyes narrowing. Though I didn't notice it at first, the subtle moonlight that emanated in from the outside was no longer present. During the quake, it seemed as though the cave's only entrance was completely blocked off, leaving the warm firelight the only source of visibility. Wait, that wasn't right. The fire had been put out in the quake. The thing that was really giving off that glow was the white pendant around my neck. The one that had been given to me by Cooper right before I left him behind. "W-Well…" Sauron looked terrified. His big, pinkish-red eyes had shrunk to a fraction of their normal size. His legs were trembling and he was biting down on his tongue. I couldn't lie: I was terrified too, but what were we going to accomplish if we both stood around fearfully, feeding into each other's fears? Hastily, I dashed over to what was once the cave entrance and attempted to lodge any of the fallen rocks and other debris free, but it was no use: They were all too heavy for me. "No use… I already tried that while you were knocked out. Doesn't seem like they're gonna budge." The Bulbasaur sighed. "So… Are we trapped in here forever?" My eyes darted around what was once my temporary abode. There had to be something else, anything else! And finally, I happened upon something. "No. We're not going to sit idly back and die quietly. We need to go deeper!" "What?!" The green Pokémon cried out, exasperation riding on his voice as he stared over at the dark abyss that was most likely a tunnel leading to the deeper parts of the cave. "No way! You have no idea what's down there! We could get hopelessly lost! Or eaten alive by wild Pokémon! And who's saying that we'd find an exit, even if we did make it all the way do-" I had to stop him. All these theoretical scenarios weren't doing the grass dino a lick of good. Gently, I placed a claw on his head, using the other to point over to the unknown blackness. "You might be right," I started, "But, Sauron. Our only other option is to sit here and starve to death. If we head down, then at least we have a fighting chance!" That seemed to do it. It took a few seconds, but the once-paranoid 'saur seemed to catch on the reality of what had to be done, even if they were only riding on a theory; a chance. "Y-You're right." The once fearful look that overtook his cute visage would then change to a confident glare. "Sorry about that. If heading down is our only chance at survival, then we'll just have to delve deeper and hope for the best!" I simply nodded in understanding. With Sauron's agreement and with great trepidation, we cautiously walked forward into the unknown depths that lied below

 **Luminous Caverns ~ B1F**

So, this wasn't exactly what I expected. As I scanned the room, the first thing I noticed was the strange structure of it: An almost perfectly square room with two perfectly straight hallways protruding from it, as though the place had been used for strip mining. The entire cave differed much from the brown cave above in the way that the whole system was constructed of beautiful, glimmering blue rocks. And it appeared that the road from whence we'd came was completely gone. Thinking back, I couldn't even put a claw on just when the cave transitioned over from being dark, brown and freeform to looking sparkly and synthetic, almost as though that part of my memory had completely lapsed. "Wh-What is all this?!" I asked aloud. It was my turn to sound exasperated and unsure, while Sauron by my side seemed calm and collected as though he had the answers I needed. "As I thought," he began, "It seems as though we've entered a mystery dungeon." "A mystery dungeon?" I inquired, "Just… What is that?" I tilted my head to the side. The term was foreign to me.

"Okay… Uh, I'll try to explain it as best I can." Sauron prefaced, "A mystery dungeon is essentially a mazelike cave, forest, tower, or… Anything, really, that changes its layout constantly. Once you enter one, you're trapped inside until you either make it to the end, or you're knocked out. They didn't exist up until a few years ago, but now this mystery dungeon curse seems to be spreading like wildfire and swallowing up the world bit by bit, creating savage dungeons in its wake."

"U-Um…" I had to interject. "What happens when you're knocked out?"

Sauron's eyes went cold and he glared at me intently. I knew I wouldn't like the answer to this. "One of two things: You could be forcefully ejected from the dungeon, most of your items and money being spread over the dungeon for the next Pokémon to find. Well, that's if you're lucky. There's also a chance that you could be swallowed up by the dungeon's ever-shifting walls and become a part of the dungeon itself. Nobody's proven this to happen, but there have been documented cases of explorers entering a dungeon and never leaving, no hide or hair of them ever being found."

My face went pale. The idea that we were in such a place made me sick to my stomach. I had no words. To say I was terrified was an understatement. I felt my insides churn, my heart begin to pound like crazy and adrenaline begin to run through my veins at a level that could very well kill me. And the worst part about it was that Sauron didn't shut up. He wasn't done explaining.

"And Pokémon that resided in an area before it was affected by the curse turn savage. They begin to indiscriminately attack anyone and everyone who enters the dungeon. Being KO'd by one of them is the most common way explorers find themselves failing dungeons, but there's other ways. For example, if you pass out from fatigue or hunger, it's the same as being defeated, or there's what we like to call 'the spirit of the dungeon' that could get to you as well."

"What do you mean by the dungeon's… 'spirit'?" I almost immediately regretted asking. I didn't want to know.

"If you spend too long on one level of a mystery dungeon, you may be privy to the sight of its walls shifting. First comes an eerie feeling of being watched. Next comes a cold breeze that sends a shiver down your spine. Lastly comes the sight of the walls closing in on you and crushing you before you lose consciousness. Anyone who's ever survived this phenomenon has come down with… Complications of one sort or another. Many come out with stress disorders, paranoia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or worse. Most end up killing themselves."

"A-Are you done?" I couldn't listen to this anymore. Every second the Bulbasaur rambled on, I regretted my decision to come down here more and more. This was a mistake, and I was going to pay the price for it.

"Yeah, I'm done. I really can't believe that Cooper never talked to you about mystery dungeons. His line of work has him traversing them all the time!" The Bulbasaur began walking down one carved hallway of the dungeon, motioning with his head for me to follow him, which I did. Movement meant that we'd get out of here faster, after all. "Sorry for scaring you…" His tone went from deadly serious to comforting. "It's not really as bad as I made it sound. Nowadays, there're protocols in place to minimize the risk of entering mystery dungeons. Most Pokémon adhere to a buddy rule, meaning that you should never, ever enter a mystery dungeon alone or split up from your team while in a mystery dungeon. It's very easy to get lost, and being apart from your teammates in an ever-changing maze is an all-around terrible idea. Second of all, you should always carry around items! Healing berries, seeds to help in battle, orbs to use in emergencies, food to eat if you get hungry. That kind of stuff! Of course, I don't have anything of the sort on me, but if other adventurers came in here and were knocked out, there's a chance that we could find some of their stuff and give it a use!"

I had to stop him right there. "Isn't that sort of like stealing?"

The Bulbasaur shook his head. "Most explorers can agree that if they're knocked out in a dungeon, the stuff they lose is up for grabs so that it may come in handy for someone else so that they don't fail the same way. We really are a closely-knit community, you know? We scratch each other's backs!"

I couldn't help but smile. The idea of a community of happy-go-lucky explorers who were just pleased in knowing that their failures could potentially help out someone else in the future just made me too happy not to crack a smile. Especially when the only unfamiliar Pokémon I knew in this world were the savage tyrants that made up Polaris, the knowledge that there were good Pokémon out there really did give me some much needed closure. "You guys seem so… Friendly." Sauron looked back at me for a moment with a warm smile on his face. "We really are! Once we make it back to Fort Qampys, I'll definitely have to introduce you to some of my friends there!" Right. Fort Qampys. I'd gotten so caught up in all of this that I'd forgotten I was supposed to be heading there. "Eheh…" I allowed a nervous chuckle to spew forth from my mouth. "I'd… I'd really like that." Sauron nodded. "It's a deal. Now, with precautions out of the way, let's keep going." Before long, the seemingly endless hallway finally emptied into another box-shaped room. It was visually almost identical to the one we'd came from save for one small thing: a small stack of apples lay in the corner. They looked surprisingly ripe and juicy. "Hey! What a perfect time to put into practice what I taught you." The Bulbasaur ran over to the aforementioned pile of apples and rolled one off the stack, lying down on his belly and leaning his head down to take a bite out of the juicy fruit. I followed close behind and sat next to him. "What are you waiting for? Take one. You've got the previous owner's blessing!" Sauron assured me with his mouth full of apple. Without another moment of hesitation, I picked up an apple, inspecting it for a few moments before taking a bite. As I sat and ate with Sauron, I could feel my previous worries beginning to melt away. Sure, this had seemed so scary and daunting at first, but I had an experienced explorer by my side! One that had worked alongside Cooper, so I really had nothing to fear! There was nothing that could stand in our way. We were invincible! After a moment of sitting and eating in silence, the two of us exchanged a passing glance. It seemed to be a glance of mutual agreement that everything was going to be okay. Nothing bad was going to happen to us.

Then, as if on cue, Sauron's expression turned sour. He swallowed the mouthful of apple he was working on and kicked the other two on the ground aside before hopping up onto all fours. "Get up, kid! It's battle time! Let's see what you can do!" I didn't even realize what he was telling me to do until I turned my head and saw a group of three Carbink approaching us. While mostly featureless, their normally innocent-looking blue eyes were instead a fierce shade of red, almost as if they were under the effect of some sort of spell. Sauron looked at me and nodded. "You got any water-type moves on you? They could come in handy right about now." I gave an affirmative nod right back. "Uh… Bubble and water gun! Will those do?" He offered me a cocky smile. "Those will work just fine! Now. I want you not to think too hard about this. Just follow your instincts and do what feels right and you'll do fine." Without another moment of hesitation, Sauron leapt forth and clenched one of the ear-like protrusions of the Carbink on the left and turned around in midair, tossing it toward me and I panicked. I couldn't think straight. All I saw was a Pokémon being hurled toward my face. Like I would normally do to protect myself, I raised up my arms. By the time I realized that the Bulbasaur had meant for me to use water gun to deflect the Carbink, it was too late. The chunky rock-type had already hit me head-on and knocked me down onto my back. "O-Ow!" What the hell?! He just hurled a Pokémon at me and seriously expected something else to happen? I'd never been put into a battle scenario like this. That wasn't fair! Before I could think about it any more, I felt a horrible pain in my head. The Carbink that had been lobbed at me had forced out one of the multitude of stones lodged in the cave wall and hurled it at my head! And it hurt! I held my throbbing head with both claws. I could feel liquid. I was bleeding. Before I could even think to brush it off and move on, another stone connected with my arm. The pain was unbearable. Soon after, the merciless Carbink had hit me with one more slab of rock. I wanted so badly to cry out for help. If I did that, Sauron would come help me. I opened my mouth but no words would come out. Each moment that passed by, I could feel my vision fading more and more. No… This was it. I was going to be defeated, wasn't I? I was going to die, wasn't I? Desperately, I did the only thing I could think to do. While it seemed like such a meaningless gesture, I began to blow bubbles. As many as I could. The beautifully glistening spheres of foamy water quickly filled the air and swirled about, beginning to float about in an almost synchronized way, as though they were dancing. Such a beautiful, useless gesture, or so I thought. Just as I had come to terms with and accepted my impending demise, I heard something. I heard the pained cried of an injured Carbink. The sound made me shoot to my feet. The air was filled to the brim with bubbles, and each time the rock/fairy-type touched one, it recoiled and cried out in pain, as if the bubbles were burning away at its body. This was it! I finally had my chance to fight back. While the savage Carbink was being tossed around by mere bubbles, I took a deep breath in and then let it out, along with the strongest water gun I had ever mustered. The sheer force of the water sent the rigid Pokémon flying straight into a wall which it collided with, signified by a very satisfying CRACK! Bits of its rocky body broke away from the main core and moments later, the weak pebble of a Pokémon fell helplessly to the ground, unconscious. As I basked in my victory, I stared at the bubbles floating in the air around me. The adrenaline pumping through my veins and that glorious feeling of my very first victory only enhanced their beauty tenfold.

"Oh no!" Suddenly realizing the reality that there were two more Carbink to deal with, I hastily turned toward the place where I'd last seen Sauron, immediately assuming a battle ready stance, my knees bent, arms at my sides. What I saw, however, quickly made me realize that there was no real remaining danger. I saw Sauron in midair, a grass-like appendage protruding from his body and tying itself around a Carbink. The Bulbasaur, almost as if in slow motion, did a flip and lobbed the terrified Carbink to the ground and knocking it out immediately, landing harmlessly next to it a moment later, the other nowhere to be seen, implying it had already been defeated. I'd just witnessed a wonderfully executed grass knot! And Sauron looked so flashy and cool doing it, too! I actually found myself smiling widely and clapping as though I'd just finished watching a performance that had thrilled me to my core, because I really had, to some extent. I wondered if I looked that graceful and focused while I was fighting. Too bad nobody saw. The only evidence left that I'd even done anything was the last few residual bubbles left in the air that hadn't yet popped themselves against the cave walls. "Sauron, that was so cool!" I had to say it out loud. "You have to teach me how to fight like that one day!" The Bulbasaur tilted his head to the side and bore a somewhat goofy looking grin as if the praise had embarrassed him. "Oh, uh… Heheh… don't mention it." Definitely trying to be humble. His fighting skill, at least what little of it I'd seen, went beyond impressive. It was almost as though he had battle instincts flowing in his blood. "Besides, you made it out of your own battle alive despite being a first-timer. So… Not too shabby! I was really expecting that I'd have to come help you out after I was done. Glad to see you handled yourself okay. But, those cuts look pretty nasty. Uh… Sorry about that. They don't look too lethal. I think you should be okay given time. If I knew synthesis, I'd use it, but I don't…" He seemed kind of sad, almost as though he'd failed me. It was undeniable that I was a little ticked at him for throwing me into a life-or-death situation so suddenly, but in retrospect, it was one Carbink. And I even had the type advantage over it. It really shouldn't have been as difficult as it was. "Hey, I'm fine!" No I wasn't. Those cuts burned like hell. "I promise I'll do better in my next battle!" Sauron's awkward smile turned to a genuine one. "Hah! I like that fight you've got in you! You're a real survivor, you! Just like your big brother! I'm sure you'll do amazingly!" His voice was so cheery and empowering that it was damn near impossible to stay mad at him for very long. "Hey." Sauron began, "I think you're ready now." Immediately taking interest, I folded my arms and inquired, "Ready for what?" "What else?" The Bulbasaur answered. "Ready to take up the head! I think you should walk in front for the remainder of the dungeon and I'll watch the flank in case anything tries to sneak up on us from behind." Sauron wanted me to be the leader? I was flattered! In fact, I really wanted to lead! This whole situation had my blood pumping like crazy. This all felt so right. Without even a moment of reluctance, I put on my bravest, most confident face and nodded. "You got it!" He offered a warm smile for only a moment before going back to being dead serious. "Alrighty, leader. Which way do we go?" Counting the path that we'd entered the room from, there were three exits: One to the west, one to the east and one to the south. While the odds of choosing the correct direction were completely random, I still thought hard about this decision. "We'll go this way." I pointed to the eastern exit, opposite the west path from whence we came. Without waiting any longer, I took up the reins and began walking eastward, Sauron obediently giving no more response than an affirmative nod and following behind me. Intrepidly, I traversed the corridor, led only by the light emanating from the white pendant around my neck, which was being reflected by the shiny stones adorning, each and ever wall. Once emerging from the other side of the corridor, I noticed the most bizarre thing. It was unexplainable how it got here, but Sauron seemed delighted at the sight of it: a staircase. He spoke up from behind me. "In mystery dungeons, you don't traverse up or down the way you'd normally expect. The only way to elevate is via staircases. Nobody knows who built 'em or how they got here, but they're here and they're the only way down. Kinda eerie, eh?" "You're telling me." I retorted with a laugh. Still, I didn't need to be told twice. No sooner had we stopped than we had begun walking again, carefully taking the steps down to the dungeon's second sublevel.

(Hoo, boy! First dungeon! Hooray! And the first instance of blood and mild language. Woo-hoo! In all seriousness, this was super fun to write. Please leave any comments or criticism, everything is welcome! Until next time, bye bye!)


End file.
